


Valerie's Nightmare

by Hazama_d20



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Season 3 Compliant, Reveal, Tags Are Hard, these kids need therapy, what season 3?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazama_d20/pseuds/Hazama_d20
Summary: Valerie has had one of the worst nightmares of her life. It's fine though. She'll be okay. She just needs to check on Danny. As long as she see he's okay, it'll be fine.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 114
Collections: Danny Phantom Server Prompt (Nightmares)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of a challenge me and [aniura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aniura/pseuds/aniura) ran on a Danny Phantom Discord Server. Some of the other works can be found [ here in a collection ](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Danny_Phantom_Server_prompt_nightmares)
> 
> Special thanks to her and [HeroineofTime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroineofTime/pseuds/HeroineofTime) for beta reading it after the challenge was completed.

* * *

The alarm screeched in her tiny room, part of a two-bedroom apartment meant for poor college students, not a high school student and their parent. The alarm was silenced brutally by an armored fist. The owner of the fist stared at the hand that had literally crushed her alarm. She wasn't focused on the fact that she'd have to buy a new alarm, nor the fact that what remained of the clock she had picked up from a garage sale was literally now stuck in her nightstand.

Instead, she focused on her breathing. On the fact she was alive. On the fact it was all a dream. “Dream... it was a dream,” she whispered to herself. She sat up in her bed, hair falling about her shoulders--at least the hair not stuck to her forehead by a cold sweat.

She slowly shifted and brought her legs off her rock-hard mattress and onto the cold floor. Normally she'd moan and complain about the temperature, but right now, the cold felt real in a way the firmness of her mattress or the roughness of her comforter didn't.

In fact, her right arm couldn't feel anything at all.

She looked down and realized that her hand was still armored. She breathed deeply and tried to remember she was safe. She was home.

The armor remained.

She closed her eyes and pinched her nose with her unarmored hand. Everything was fine. Her dad was fine. She was fine. Danny was safe.

The armor slowly melded back into her skin, leaving perfectly unmarred, coffee-colored flesh underneath. She breathed out a sigh of relief and stood up. Walking into the cramped kitchen of her apartment, she found her dad plating a breakfast. 

“Oh, you’re up!” her father said, smiling way brighter than any man who just got done working an eight-hour graveyard shift had any right to be. “I was just about to wake you.”

“Yeah, ummm...” Valerie looked at the food her dad had laid out. An omelet with spinach and a couple slices of bacon. It smelled heavenly.

The sight of it turned her tongue to ash.

Her dad made it for her. He could have just gone to bed. Instead, he had stayed up after his shift and made her breakfast. He fully intended to go to sleep as soon as she left.

He noticed her hesitation. “Are you okay?”

Valerie brushed her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, daddy, just... just a few nightmares.”

He dropped the utensils in his hands. “Are you okay?” he repeated. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. She leaned into the physical contact, even though it didn't quite feel real yet. She reached up and hugged him.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she lied. The nightmare was still fresh in her mind. Nothing felt real at the moment. She felt detached. Her mind wanted to escape from her skull and float away. She reached up and wrapped her arms around her dad.

He laughed quietly, obviously not believing her. “Yeah, sure you are.” He patted her back a couple of times. Then, with a grunt of discomfort, he grabbed her shoulders and tried to push her away. “Val, you're hurting me.”

Val jumped away from her father. “Oh! Sorry, dad!”

He smiled and rubbed her head. “It's alright.” He looked at the plate he had left out on the table. “Do you want breakfast?”

She didn't. She really didn't. “I should have it. I got a long day ahead of me.” She sat down at the table and took the fork, breaking apart the food. It smelled wonderful, but putting it in her mouth was a chore. She knew that she should be hungry; it was breakfast time. She needed food to get through the school day.

But her throat felt closed. The food was bland. Her dad was a fantastic cook, but every time she looked at her hands, she saw blood the color of neon green.

They couldn't afford to waste food, though. So she ate all of it. It took thirty-seven bites, but she did it. Covering her mouth with her hand, she swallowed the last bite. She reached for a glass of water to wash it all down. The water soothed her throat; it felt so good she almost started crying. She proceeded to guzzle the entire glass in one go.

She slammed the cup back on the table as she gasped for air. Her dad raised an eyebrow at her. “Sweetie, are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine, daddy. It was just a nightmare.”

He looked at her over his glasses, the bags under his eyes magnified by the lenses. “It might just be a nightmare, but it can still affect you.”

She smiled at him. “I know, but I'm a big girl, daddy. I just need to get to school, and I'll be fine.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why would that help?”

Valerie chuckled. “I just need to see that Danny is okay.”

His eyes narrowed as one type of concern changed for another. “Danny Fenton?” he confirmed. “You should bring him around sometime.”

“He's _not_ my boyfriend,” she stated firmly. _No matter how much I'd want that._

* * *

Valerie took three steps toward the bus stop and then quickly decided against it. Danny was pretty much always a bit early to school, but him actually being in class was a different story. It was just one of those mysteries about him that she had wanted to figure out at some point. But all that changed when she saw Phantom blast her jumpsuit. She broke up with him, and now she’d never find out, but he’d be safe.

But right now, she needed to see him.

She ran into the alley near her apartment complex, jumped into the air, and clicked her heels. A board appeared beneath her feet, and armor phased out of her skin. The jets on the board kept it airborne long enough for her to center herself before the jets fired off and she started flying over her town.

She usually loved flying, but at the moment, she hated it. This was normally a time to unwind and relax, but right now, it was a time to be alone with her thoughts. Time she _really_ didn't want to spend.

Intrusive thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. Images of Danny, Fenton not Phantom, fighting her, screaming. Ectoplasm flowing from wounds. Danny in pain. His friends screaming.

Valerie ripped off her helmet and threw it behind her. Or rather, she tried to. As soon as her fingers let go of the metal, it turned into something more akin to tar and slowly crawled back into her suit and her flesh.

It was fine though; the wind howling through her ears drowned out screams, and it was a better excuse for tears in her eyes than a stupid nightmare.

She landed behind the school. The board split into two halves and then melded back into her skin. She ran toward the front of the school, doing what she could to put her hair into a 'messy but stylish’ look. There was nothing she could do about her eyes though, she wiped away the tears and hoped no one would notice she had been crying. 

She entered the school through the front door and beelined toward a trio of students who were huddled around a locker.

“Danny!” she called out. The three of them jerked. Tucker had even brought up his fists. Sam stepped in between them. Valerie tried to step around her, but Sam took another step to block her path.

Valerie glared at Sam for just a second before she looked over Sam's shoulder at Danny.

He wasn't looking at her; instead, he had his head against the lockers. He looked tired, but he was alright.

“Danny,” Valerie said quietly, “Thank goodness... you're alright.”

Danny straightened at that; he turned and looked at her. She rapidly changed her opinion. He didn't look tired. He looked _exhausted_. The bags under his eyes were so dark that, for a moment, Val wondered if Sam had gotten him to start trying to go goth.

Danny blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

Valerie sighed and shook her head. “It's stupid, but I had a really bad nightmare last night.”

Sam folded her arms. “About fighting Phantom?”

Valerie blinked and turned and looked at Sam for what felt like the first time. She and Sam never got along. Valerie had warned her to make a move on Danny before someone else did, and Sam didn't listen, so Valerie did. After that, it was like she had personally offended Sam.

But before, it was always subtle things.

This new Sam held her contempt on her sleeve. Valerie was just a bit taller than her, even with the platform boots Sam wore, but right now, Sam was looking down at her. Her usual dismissive smirk was a full-blown disgusted sneer. Her eyes were filled with hate. If it weren't for her normal purple irises, she'd have thought she was a ghost.

Valerie took a step back and then glanced at Tucker. Tucker, who usually stared at her like she was a goddess. Instead, he was raising his fists at her. The idea that he'd fight her was ridiculous. The concept of Tucker trying to fight anyone was crazy. The closest to martial arts Tucker got was through a controller. But Valerie took one look at him and knew that if she tried to step around Sam, Tucker _would_ try.

Valerie blinked. “What? What's going on?”

Sam growled, “Show her, Danny.”

Danny looked at Valerie. His eyes were wet, and he slowly lifted his shirt, and Valerie gasped. Right through most of his ribs was a glowing green wound that slowly turned into infected red flesh.

“Valerie,” he said. “It wasn't a dream.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie gets some answers, whether she likes them or not. (She doesn't)

Valerie stared at the wound on Danny's chest as the world tilted around her. It wasn't possible. That was ectoplasm. The nanobots in her system were already informing her of the threat level. Somehow, a ghost had possessed Danny and had been in there long enough for a wound to bleed ectoplasm, not blood.

That wasn't possible, either. Maybe it was something else? Like possibly his parent's inventions had infected him with ectoplasm? That would have been worse. That meant Valerie still had stabbed him at some point. That wound was the exact size and shape of the new ghost blade she had been raring to try out. It was based on something Skulker used. Sometimes using a blade was better than a gun if she couldn't bring around her rifle quickly enough.

The first school warning bell went off, but none of the four moved, other than Danny lowering his shirt.

“I think we're skipping class today,” Danny stated with a chuckle.

Sam turned her glare from Valerie to Danny. “Nothing about this is funny, Danny.”

Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I know.” He glanced up at Valerie and looked her in the eyes. “Come on. No one goes to the woods out back.”

Valerie opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out of her throat. She worked her jaw, trying to say anything. Instead, she slowly nodded.

Danny started walking first. As soon as he passed Valerie, Sam stepped between them. She glared at Valerie before focusing on Danny's back as he led the way out. Tucker stepped behind Valerie and pulled out his PDA.

A moment later, Valerie's nanobots warned her that their connection to each other was unstable. The panic that flooded her body stilled her feet for just a moment, which resulted in Tucker running into her back. She turned back and saw Tucker glaring at her as he put his PDA away.

“Did you-?” Valerie began.

Tucker interrupted, “We should keep moving. Class will be starting soon.”

Valerie nodded, but Tucker waited for her to keep moving. She realized Tucker was watching her, getting ready to warn Sam and Danny if she did anything.

Valerie felt like there was ash in her mouth.

Her friends, if they would let her call them that, continued to escort her out of the school. They quickly made their way to the woods past the school football field. A reasonable distance in, the three of them stopped and turned to face Valerie.

This time though, Valerie couldn't help but notice the ectogun in Sam's hand. Valerie brought a hand up to her chest, priming her armor to come forth. It felt sluggish due to whatever Tucker had done, but it was ready to go at a moment’s notice. The gun wouldn't do anything to Valerie except slow her down, but that was probably the point.

“How?” Valerie began. It was the first word that she could get out since she saw what had happened to Danny.

Sam scoffed, “Oh, you know, you saw Phantom fighting the Box Ghost, waited for Phantom to win, then blindsided him. Again.” She waved the ectogun about as she continued mocking Valerie. “Phantom tried to reason with you. You kept shooting. So, he tried to peacefully defend himself. At which point, you pulled out a knife and stabbed him.” Sam glared at her. “Sound familiar? You were there, after all.”

Danny reached up and grabbed the ectogun out of Sam's hand. “Sam, she gets it. And you know that's not what she was asking.”

Sam yanked her hand out of Danny's grip, but she had already lost the gun. “Oh, I know that's not what she was asking.”

Danny turned to Valerie. “It was an accident,” he began. He looked at the ectogun in his hands and played with it, turning it about. “My parents built the ghost portal. They were so close to proving to everyone they were right. It was a big deal. They got the family together, made a huge family dinner, brought us all downstairs, and plugged it in.”

Danny sighed and threw the weapon to the side. “It didn't work.”

“Hey, I use that,” Sam complained as she ran over and grabbed the gun. She checked it for blemishes before looking at Danny. She clenched her teeth before putting the gun back under her skirt. Valerie was shocked to see a holster strapped to her thigh. Did Sam  _ always  _ carry ghost weaponry?

Danny ran a hand through his hair. “So I did a stupid thing. I put on my jumpsuit and checked it out for myself.” He chuckled. “My parents are smart, they might not seem like it, but they do know what they're doing. They both have multiple Ph.D.’s beyond their ghost stuff. They're also really... forgetful.”

Danny shrugged. “They had security measures in place. The problem was, I didn't know about them, and they had forgotten one. I went in there.” He walked over to a tree and placed his hand against it as he talked. “I reached up to steady myself and had just so happened to press the stupid on button. No safety measures were stopping it anymore and...” His hand phased through the tree.

Valerie's nanobots triggered, warning her of the ghostly activity. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. “You... you died?”

Danny pulled his hand out of the tree. “Only mostly.”

Valerie shook her head. “Danny... Danny, I'm lost here. You... know what I am, a ghost hunter, and my systems are telling me that you're a ghost!”

Sam hissed, “Yeah, well, news flash, you're not the only ghost hunter in these woods right now. We know more about what we're talking about here.”

Tucker chimed in. “You're a good ghost hunter, Valerie, but you, like,  _ never _ listen.”

Valerie rounded on Tucker. “What do you mean by that?”

Danny held up his hands. “Valerie, how many times have I tried to tell you I didn't try and ruin your life?”

Valerie turned. “But you’re a  _ ghost _ !”

Danny smirked. “Only some of the time.”

“Ghosts lie!”

“So do humans!” Sam spat out.

“Then why! Why were you there?” Valerie growled out. “You're telling me that I need to listen, so here I am!”

Danny let out a relieved sigh. “Oh man, if I had known this is what it'd take for you to listen to me, I would have let you gank me months ago!”

Valerie stared in shock at Danny as Sam and Tucker yelled at him. The words they were saying were washing over her, useless noise in a sea of chaos. She felt the world shifting underneath her feet. She let out a sob as she remembered the reason why they were here.

She had stabbed Danny.

The next moment, Danny had her face in his hands. He was kneeling next to her. “Valerie, Valerie, it's okay! I'll be fine!”

Valerie reached up and grabbed his wrist, either to pull it away or to keep it there. She didn't know. But the chill that she felt underneath her fingers shocked her to her core. Danny had always been cold. They joked for the brief period they had dated that he had poor circulation and that obviously he had to hold her hand to keep warm.

But that was before she knew he had died.

“Danny... Danny, you're dead.” 

Danny reached over and slowly peeled her fingers off his wrists before placing them on his pulse point.

She felt nothing, and she let out a choked cry.

“Wait,” Sam said firmly.

_ Thump. _

Valerie froze as she felt something under her fingers.

_ Thump. _

“It's slow, but I still have a pulse, and I still bleed, and I need to eat and sleep. I still feel emotions too.” He didn't move her hand. “I'm still alive.”

Valerie laughed and sniffed as she rubbed tears away from her eyes. “Danny, I'm so confused.”

“Us too, honestly,” Danny said with a shrug, still not moving her fingers. “It's... it's been a lot.”

Valerie pulled her hand away from Danny and tried to level her sternest gaze on him. It must have been quite the glare since her three friends all jerked and looked at her like she was about to talk. “The dog?”

“Not mine,” Danny said. “Cross my heart and hope to... uh... well. You know.”

Valerie wasn't sure if she was jumping through the stages of grief like a circus actor, or if seeing Danny make jokes about one of the worst parts of her life just ticked her off. But if it weren't for Tucker messing with her suit earlier, she'd probably have brought it forth accidentally. “Whose is it then?” she growled.

Danny didn't flinch away. “Axion's.”

“The company?”

“Yeah, turns out those jerks decided that it was too much work to re-home the guard dogs,” Sam interrupted.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Sam, we don't know that's what happened.”

“Oh, sure, puppy ghost, wanted his toy in Axion's kennels. Tell me, Danny, what do you think happened?”

“I don't-”

Valerie turned toward Sam. “You're not serious! They put him down? Axion did?”

Sam nodded, her lips pursed into a thin line.

Valerie rubbed at her wrists. “God...”

Danny threw up his hands. “Oh, sure! You believe  _ her _ the first time she tells you!”

“ _ She's _ not a ghost!” Valerie defended. “Your parents say-”

“My parents are wrong,” Danny cut off. Valerie slowly looked down at the hand that had phased through the tree earlier. Danny hid it behind his back. “They're wrong about a lot of things, at least.”

“Ghosts aren't evil,” Sam stated. “They're hurting.” She folded her arms and glared at Valerie. “They all want something: a squeaky toy, fame, love, acknowledgment, to have fun, vengeance.” She narrowed her eyes. “And they won't listen or do anything that doesn't fix that hurt in some way. That should sound familiar.”

Danny stepped between Sam and Valerie. Valerie hadn't noticed how much broader his shoulders had gotten since she knew him. She looked over his shoulder as he addressed Sam. “Sam, seriously! You're going to make this worse.”

Sam looked abashed. “Sorry, it's just...” Sam waved her hands in front of her, indicating the two of them. “Danny, she did kill you.”

Danny rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I know, but I got better.”

“You didn't know you would.”

Valerie straightened. “Wait, I  _ did  _ kill you?”

Danny wouldn't look back at her. “Yeah, uh.. heart was stopped, gone, for like... five minutes.” The horror she felt upon hearing that must have been apparent on her face, because he immediately started to panic. “It’s not a big deal, honestly! Good arm, by the way.”

Valerie exploded, "What the hell is _ wrong _ with you! All of you! God, you... you gave me tips on how to shoot better! You gave me advice! Did you think you were invincible or something?"

"No!" Danny shouted. He glanced at Sam and Tucker and then back at Valerie. His fists were clenched at his side as he stared her right in the eye. "I needed you to be able to kill me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the other prompts that was suggested was Sam and Valerie are lost in the woods, and they need to confront the elephant in the room. This part was partially inspired by that. Lost in this case being a metaphorical lost, Valerie being confused and unsure of... well... everything... Sam being lost in anger. 
> 
> Next chapter should be out this Saturday, assuming I don't get sidetracked playing video games again...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has some explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this short fic. If you haven't noticed, this fic now has cover art! [aniura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aniura/pseuds/aniura) made it for this fic! She's making fan art of all the fics made for this challenge! I'll be leaving it as a bookend on this chapter as well as putting it on the first chapter.

“Excuse me?” Valerie screeched. She didn't know she had that kind of breath in her lungs. Danny flinched like she had shot him, or rather like  _ when  _ she shot him. She looked back at Sam, who looked just as shocked as Valerie to hear that.

Sam blinked a few times, tears forming in her eyes. “Danny, what do you mean by that?”

Danny ran a hand through his hair and walked over to a tree. He put his back to the tree and slid down until he was sitting. He let out a long sigh. “You're not the only one who had a nightmare become a reality.”

Valerie blinked. Danny didn't seem like he normally did. He wasn't acting confident like he was when he was Phantom, and boy, was that going to take some getting used to. He also wasn't acting like the joking, nervous boy she had almost dated. Instead he just seemed tired, and maybe a little broken.

Valerie had no clue what Danny was talking about, but it was apparent Sam and Tucker did. They walked over to Danny and knelt down next to him. Sam placed a hand on his knee and Tucker lightly punched his shoulder. “Man, you need to stop worrying about it. You stopped it.”

“Did I?” Danny said, his voice cracking as he shook his head. “You two don't know. Clockwork rewound it.”

The two other humans in the clearing shot each other significant looks. “Who's Clockwork?” Valerie asked.

Sam didn't even glance at her. “He's the ghost of time. Basically a god.”

Valerie blinked. “You're kidding.”

“Nope,” Tucker responded, popping the P. “Literally in charge of making sure the timeline flows smoothly.”

“Some ghost is in charge of time?” Valerie couldn't believe it. Why would a ghost care about time?

“He's not just  _ some ghost _ ,” Danny said. He glared at Valerie as he defended him. “He saved everyone's lives!”

“From what?”

“From me!” Danny shouted. Valerie involuntarily took a step back, and Danny looked like he had been slapped. He stared down at the ground. “He saved everyone from me.”

Sam pointed at Danny. “Oh no, you don't. Don't go blaming yourself for all that! It wasn't just you. He was part of Vlad too! Remember?”

Valerie blinked. “Vlad?”

“You told us that Vlad’s and your ghost fused to make him.”

Danny shook his head. “Sam... I... you don't get it. How could you?” Valerie opened her mouth to ask questions, but then looked at the trio in front of her and decided that she needed to listen. Heedless of her, Danny continued, “Sam... I have an obsession.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“I... I need to protect people; I  _ have  _ to protect people!”

Sam waved her hand about. “And?”

“And you know how stupid I am...”

Sam rolled her eyes and growled, “Annnd?”

“What if my obsession ever gets to the point that I decide to hurt someone to keep them safe? What if I decide you'd be better off, and  _ safer _ , if you were a ghost?” Sam blinked, and her eyes grew wide. “You would, you know? Clockwork's shown me what's going to happen to us. All of us.” He looked up significantly at Valerie, who tensed. “Sam, you are going to become like Undergrowth, just even more powerful. Tucker,” Danny chuckled, though the tightness in his voice sounded more like he was close to crying. “Technus and Youngblood both join up with you, the ghostly pirate of the internet.”

Tucker blinked. “Awesome! All the free software!” Sam turned and smacked Tucker in the gut before Valerie reached over and slapped him upside the head. “Oh, right, dying.”

Danny laughed. “It's... it's crossed my mind before. And... it'd be so  _ easy _ .” Danny looked at his hands. “I can stop it now. It's not easy, but all I have to do is remember how much it  _ hurt _ to die, and it's gone, but...”

Sam placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. “You're worried your obsession will get too strong.”

“Yeah.”

“That's where I come in,” Valerie stated, “Isn't it?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, in one future, I... I destroy everything. Everything except Amity Park. You kept Amity Park safe for ten years.”

“Of course I did!” Valerie smirked.

“Then I learned my ghostly wail and destroyed it too.”

Valerie narrowed her eyes. “But... you already know how to do that.”

Danny nodded. “I got stronger.” He shrugged. “Hence... me giving you tips.”

Valerie sat down in front of Danny. “Oh.”

“Yeah... oh.”

The four sat in silence for a moment, everyone digesting what was aired out. Tucker looked up at everyone and then asked the question they were all thinking. “What now?”

Valerie took a deep breath and glared at Danny. “I'm  _ not  _ happy that you used me like this,” she stated. “Danny, what the fuck? I...” She trailed off and wet her lips, “ I almost gave up ghost hunting for you. I thought about it. If things had been different, or I had been less  _ obsessed _ , I would have given it up to date you.” She laughed. “Maybe if things had been different, I could have had my cake and eaten it too.”

Danny chuckled and blushed. Sam glanced at Danny, then glared at Valerie.

Valerie took a deep breath. “So, with that in mind, why... the fuck... would you ask ME... to kill you? Danny, I do  _ love  _ you. Maybe not romantically, but-”

“I get it,” Danny interrupted, blushing harder.

At the same time, Sam interrupted too. “He gets it.”

“That... that wasn't fair,” Valerie finished. “To any of us.”

“I know,” Danny said sadly. “But Valerie, knowing that, knowing all  _ this _ . If I turned dark, became as evil as you thought I was... could you stop me?”

Valerie opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Could she stop him? She did last night. It was horrible. She couldn't go through that again.

“That's what I thought.”

“It's not just her, you know,” Sam stated forcefully. “You know that I can fight ghosts too, as do your parents.”

Danny looked Sam in the eye. “And could you do it?”

Sam looked away. “I mean... we could thermos you, hold you down for a bit.”

“Yeah, that's a short term solution, you know.”

Tucker folded his arms. “Well, apparently you getting stabbed in the chest isn't a solution either!”

Danny threw his arms up in the air. “Well, I know that now!”

Valerie chuckled, but her heart wasn't in it. They went back to silence again. The four sat quietly for a moment. Valerie looked at each of her friends, and that was what they were, even Danny who was a ghost, and she realized she did know what she wanted to do.

She stood up. “I know what we can do.” She held out a hand to Danny. He stared at her for a moment, before smiling. He took her hand and she helped him up. “You... are going to introduce me to your parents as the Red Huntress.”

“What?”

“Look, your obsession tells you that everyone would be safer if they were ghosts, right? To defend themselves? Then here's what we do. I get  _ better. _ Between the two of us, we'll keep everyone safe, so they don’t  _ need  _ to.”

Danny stared at her, shocked. “I don't think-”

“You really don't. Danny, this is my choice. I'm not going to kill you. I'm just gonna stomp any stupid ghost that thinks it can mess with us. ALL of us. And that includes you. If I have to chase you a million times back into the ghost zone, then I will.”

Danny frowned. “But that's also a short-”

“I know, don't care. This is  _ my  _ choice. I'm not putting my life above yours, and you don't get to do so either.”

“Agreed,” Sam said, standing up.

“Dude, we're all in this together,” Tucker chimed in. 

His friends’ answer obviously didn’t sit well with Danny. He looked each of them in the eye and saw how resolute they were. Each one of them stared him back in the eye, unwavering. “Thanks, guys.”

“Good, glad we understand each other.” Valerie said with a smile, before reaching back and punching Danny in the shoulder. “That's for letting me stab you last night!”

Danny groaned, “I didn't  _ let  _ you stab me. You got that fair and square.” He laughed and waved off Sam as she started moving between Valerie and Danny. “It’s fine… I deserved that.”

* * *


End file.
